eric chaet | what you commit yourself to doing

15102007

Poetry Dispatch No. 65 | April 18, 2006

WHAT YOU COMMIT YOURSELF TO DOING by Eric Chaet

There’s always more to it:
It took you so long to get started,
because you saw
how everyone who gave it all they had
ended up with results they complained about,
but, finally, having to get started,
you started,
found ways to stifle your negativity,
eagerly embraced
what you hadn’t thought of before
that seemed promising,
& gave it all you had–
& while you were doing it
ignorant zealots took over your nation
& almost every big organization,
& other ignorant zealots decided
that the whole nation–
ignorant zealots, you, everyone–
were enemies of God & targets of opportunity–
& family members got in trouble & needed help
or tried to manipulate you,
or maybe it was people you took for friends,
who allowed themselves to do what you wouldn’t do
& were spiraling down in the consequences,
or someone in your area polluted your water
or soil or air or mind,
or maybe it was someone far away
& the pollution traveled thru the air or underground,
or thru the school you sent your children to,
while you were trying to figure out your taxes
to avoid going to jail,
or lots of people produced what you produced
& the price dropped,
or you were the only one producing what you produced,
& no one around you recognized its value–
or maybe you made a little careless error
distracted by odd little pains in your gut or back
or distortions in your vision or hearing
& burned down the room where you stored
your inventory, tools, & files,
or got addicted to beer or pills or powder–
& you were left without any means of sustaining
not only your way of life, but life at all–
there’s always more to it,
the goal line keeps moving,
there are always more really insane people
you must count on to deliver what you produce
or supplies you need to continue producing,
or even just to live until tomorrow,
& more people who see you as fair game
& more people whose need for help is genuine
& more people whose game is to claim to need help
& new laws & technologies, wars, & plagues:
what you commit yourself to doing
needs to be worth all the unexpected obstacles,
irritants, enmities, misunderstandings, old age, & death,
whatever the results along the way, whatever others think of your results so far.

other Norbert Blei web pages

Please click the arrow to see the complete list of writers on Poetry Dispatch & other Notes from the Underground, then click a writers name to see all entries. The number next to the writers name indicates how many postings belong to this category.

Please click the arrow to see the complete list of writers on Poetry Dispatch & other Notes from the Underground, then click a writers name to see all entries. The number next to the writers name indicates how many postings belong to this category.

The coop has flown

Email Subscription to Poetry Dispatch & Other Notes from the Underground

Please enter your email address to subscribe to Poetry Dispatch & Other Notes from the Underground and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 726 other followers

Norbert Blei | 1935 – 2013

On the back roads of Door County again

Norbert Blei – 2012

Photo by Bobbie Krinsky

Norbert Blei – 2012

Photo by Jeffrey Winke

Norbert Blei – 2011

Photo by Sharon Auberle

metropolis | the shop | on-line source for jazz, improvised, innovative, adventurous and unheard music. We listen to music and read artists who don’t even exist yet. The Shop is part of the metropolis media group.